The Blog

Our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees if we are to enter the kingdom of God—and that relates with especially keeping the first 9 of the 10 commandments.

The righteousness of the Pharisees involved keeping the first 9 of the 10. Paul says in Philippians 3:6 that he was blameless as far as the first 9 were concerned. But when it came to the 10th commandment, “You shall not covet”, Paul says in Romans 7:7 he could not keep it.

He found coveting of every kind in his heart. He knew he longed for deliverance. But it seemed impossible for him to keep his heart from the sin of lusting. He did not have that purity but longed for it.

God saw Paul’s hunger and opened his eyes to see the way made under the new covenant, for him to have a pure heart that would be free of such lusts.

This is what Paul describes in Romans 8. There he speaks of the provision that God has made for us.

Through the Holy Spirit, He gives us the life of Christ so the requirement of the law can be fulfilled inside us.

If we have the same honesty and hunger that Paul had, God will lead us also into the same life that he experienced—for there is no partiality with God.